The invention herein pertains to that class of disc brake which is commonly employed in power transmission trains between a primary drive motor and a transmission or speed reduction gear. A typical application of the invention is in connection with the boom supporting turntable of a hydraulically operated construction crane, although the invention is capable of more generalized utility.
The present invention seeks to improve on the construction in the above-referenced application in terms of simplicity, compactness and economy without loss of the main advantages inherent in the structure in the prior application including fail-safe capability of the brake, biasing of the brake to an "on" condition when the hydraulic system is depressurized and the absence of a jerky mode of operation of the brake. An important aspect of this invention involves the utilization within a standardized hydraulically powered brake operating and adjusting module of a single piston and piston travel adjusting collar, and a uniquely arranged floating cylinder head which serves several useful purposes in the overall operation of the disc brake.
The standardized hydraulic module is adaptable to and useable with various forms and sizes of coacting brake disc assemblies, thereby enhancing the range of utility of the overall invention and its operational flexibility.
Other and more specific features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description.
The following United States patents Nos. are made of record herein under 37 C.F.R. 1.56:
3,500,970--Mar. 17, 1970--Schilling PA1 3,680,666--Aug. 1, 1972--Sommer
While the Schilling patent discloses a spring-biased disc brake with fluid pressure release and a piston configuration similar to the piston utilized in this invention, Schilling does not include a floating type cylinder head nor does Schilling possess a mode of operation in the overall similar to the invention.
Sommer also shows a similar piston configuration and spring-biased means in a disc brake but the overall structure is much more complex and bulky than the comparable structure in this invention and the mode of operation in this invention is not achieved and cannot be achieved. No known prior art discloses the present combination of a floating cylinder head, coacting single piston and adjusting collar to regulate the travel of the piston in a standardized disc brake hydraulically powered module with fail-safe capability, improved operational "feel" and compatibility with a variety of brake disc assemblies.